The first visitors to the Oregon territory were made up of explorers
and fur traders. These adventurers came to the territory to harvest
the furs that were so widely in demand in the European countries. As
the furs became depleted and the territory began to open up for settlement,
these same individuals retired to the areas that they had become familiar
with. Many of the fur traders were French Canadian and metis (of French
Canadian and Indian ancestry). I have listed many of these early settlers
on my web page at Pre 1839 settlersby Stephenie Flora